


Commendable Efforts

by sukkavore



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Episode: s01e04 The Warriors of Kyoshi, F/M, Fluff, Kyoshi Island, Kyoshi Warrior Sokka (Avatar), Missing Scene, POV First Person, POV Suki (Avatar), Sukka, missing moment, missing moment sukka, smug but sweet sokka, sokka looks amazing in his kyoshi warrior fit, suki and sokka friendship, suki beats the misogyny out of sokka, suki doing sokka's makeup, suki will not hesitate to call sokka out on his bullshit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 19:21:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29722011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sukkavore/pseuds/sukkavore
Summary: When the Avatar lands on Kyoshi Island, he brings with him his water tribe friends: a girl, and a sexist, ignorant boy. After he insults her and her warrior capabilities, the last thing Suki wants is to see that water tribe boy again. Sure enough, he comes back running, begging her for her forgiveness and training. Suki accepts, hoping to change him for the better, but never anticipated that helping him would spark something between them.~In other words, Suki helps Sokka overcome his sexism and falls in love with the person underneath that water tribe exterior.
Relationships: Sokka & Suki (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 14





	Commendable Efforts

“I’m sorry,” the Water Tribe boy said. Not a hint of sarcasm traced his speech, and not even the tiniest glint of a smile or giggle ran over his mouth. Even so, I had my suspicions and glared at him. He sighed, seeing my skepticism, and allowed his knees to buckle, throwing himself into a deep bow before us on the wooden floor. He was completely sincere and serious. 

For me, it was almost impossible to comprehend, even if I had watched it all unfold. He was apologizing, for all the insolence and foolery he had caused in projecting his Water Tribe values onto us, and he was  _ sincere  _ about it. I couldn’t believe it and questioned what had happened to all that pride he had strutted in with only hours prior. 

I stood as the first in line among the array of other girls in the room. We all eyed the boy before us, mostly in annoyance that he had held up our training, while we considered his apology. It was silent for the most part, (I guess he thought by now we would have responded) as only the whistle of the wind blew through the open doors of the dojo. 

“I was wrong,” he finally admited, much to my shock. “I shouldn’t have insulted you earlier. I’m sorry for disrespecting you all,” he repeated. “I would be honored if you would teach me.” 

The request came as a surprise to me, seeing as only an hour earlier he had demeaned our abilities. I looked to the other girls in the dojo. They had been studying him, just as I had. Some showed signs they were unconvinced, some were just irritated he had interrupted the lesson, while others were shrugging, not knowing how to proceed. Ultimately, they waited for their leader to pass the verdict, leaving the decision to me. 

Arms crossed, I held my fans close to my chest, allowing myself into a stern stance before continuing. I had questions of my own. “Even if I’m a girl?” 

He nodded. 

I shrugged, “Alright, but we normally don’t teach outsiders, let alone boys.” I had to test his persistence. 

“Make an exception. Please.” He begged, eyes still planted on the ground. “I promise, I won’t let you down.” 

“Hm,” I mumbled, weighing my options. It wasn’t too hard to come to a decision, I was curious to see where this could go, and even more eager to see if he was willing to change his previous mindset. “Fine, I’ll teach you.” A smile appeared on his lips. “But, you have to follow all our traditions.” 

He looked up. “Does that mean I have to wear one of those dresses?” He questioned, hesitation creeping through his voice. 

I grinned. “I did say all of them, didn’t I?” 

I could tell he was holding in a groan as he hauled himself up. My answer wasn’t quite what he had on his agenda. 

The boy brushed off his hands on his pants. His eyes scattered across the room, probably to look at what he was getting himself into, before returning his gaze to me. He sighed, “I’m ready. Bring out one of those gowns.” It sounded like a command. His confidence was starting to return. 

“It’s called a kimono,” I corrected him, chuckling through my words. The other girls in the room erupted into giggles too, which caused the boy’s eyes to open wide, embarrassed. 

“I knew that, I knew that,” he insisted. “Well- just get me one of those  _ kimonos,”  _ I raised my eyebrow, unamused by his tone. Spirits, I had a lot of work to do. “And I’ll be good to go, right? You can start teaching me, I can become a better warrior, everyone’s happy!” 

“Right. Well, I would love to, but in case you haven’t noticed, genius,” I stepped back, gesturing to the full dojo. “I have a lesson to teach-” 

“Uh, yeah. Which means you can train me too.”

“-Which doesn’t include you.” I heard a couple of the girls scoff, laughing at my boldness, while he stopped cold. The blue-eyed boy looked like he had received whiplash. 

I hated to be as brash as I was, but I had to give it to him straight. His skills just weren’t as advanced as the other girls in the dojo and most likely, our training lesson would end up going over with us getting hardly anything accomplished. All because I would be busy babying the new recruit to focus on anyone else. Besides, it would be good for him to take a blow to his ego.

Yet, he flicked a hand, dismissing me. “Pfft,” he began, his pride just wouldn’t rest. Shrugging, he turned the attention of the girls in the room back on him. “I don’t mind, I understand I’m special.” 

There it was. That cocky grin plastered to his lips I knew I would learn to despise. 

The girls around me did not help the situation. I heard whispers within the crowd behind me, and I realized I probably just entered a world of constant teasing that I would never live down. 

I surveyed him and his Water Tribe getup, wondering why the universe chose  _ him,  _ of all people, for me to meet. 

He lifted an eyebrow as he crossed his arms, waiting patiently with that smug expression for a response to him. I knew as well that the girls in the dojo waited for some witty comeback that would put him in his place, but I had nothing. 

I uncrossed my arms, letting my fans hang by my sides. He won this, for now. 

“I’ll train you after…” My words faded into thin air as I found myself trying to place a name at the end of my sentence until I realized I didn’t know. 

“Sokka,” he informed me, still grinning. 

“Sokka,” I repeated back. “For now, you can stay and watch if you like. Maybe the ‘warrior’ in you will pick up the technique without me having to teach you a thing. I’ll test how much you know later.” 

“Oh, uh- sure,” Sokka stammered, I guess he didn’t expect that offer either. Sokka departed from the place he was standing and found a new place to occupy by the walls of the dojo. 

Before long, the girls around me are winking and teasing me mercilessly. After brushing off their behavior, I’m finally pulled back into training them. 

The training went on well into the afternoon, and now the sun was emitting light burgundy colors around the island as the sky prepared itself to rest. Sokka sat and observed for the whole lesson, despite the time it had taken. I was certain he would have left after the first hour or so, growing bored of our “dance lesson,” as he called it. But, he stayed, and if he did what I told him, he probably might have learned something from it. 

When the rest of the class had left, he pestered me to get him a kimono, which I gladly brought out for him. Sokka changed into it successfully but was struggling to get into the armor. I had to come to terms with the fact I’d have to assist him.

I started with the headdress first, tying it into a tight knot around the back of his head. 

“Ow!” Sokka winced, I rolled my eyes. 

Lifting myself, I reached for his tangled hair. “There,” I said, pulling the little wolf tail atop his head out of the ribbon I tied. “Better?” 

“Mhm,” his answer was meek and I found myself giggling at him. 

“Y’know…” He began to say, before pausing. It seemed in the chaos that occurred around meeting each other we were horrible at giving each other our names. 

“Suki,” I responded, filling in the void as I moved to tie the armor at his back. 

He nodded, taking in the information. “Yeah, Suki- I just wanted to say… you were great out there.” The gulp he took in that pause sounded like he had to choke down a gallon of salt water to get his point across. 

“Out where? When? Be more specific,” I tugged at the strings used to secure the armor, pulling them without warning before gleefully starting to list. “When my warriors and I captured you, the Avatar, and your sister this morning? When I took you down earlier in a record ten seconds? Or when-”

“Okay, okay, I get it,” Sokka raised his palms, defeated. “I know I can’t fight. But wow- 10 seconds?  _ Only  _ 10 seconds…?” 

“I counted,” I assured him, raising the shoulder pieces in place. “Best warrior in your village, huh?” 

“Well, I mean, it is a really small village so technically,” he raised one arm, making sure it was in my range of vision, before flexing the little muscle that was there. He wore a haughty smile, “I’ve still got it.” 

I humphed, rolling my eyes again. I couldn’t argue with that. 

He lowered his arm, and I raised them right back up. Sokka got the message and held them in place as I moved to assemble the strings holding up the armor at his sides. Kneeling, I begin to tie the knots at the bottom of the armor. 

“But, back to what I was saying. I just wanted to tell you, you were really amazing, teaching the lesson and training them and all.” My lips curved into a smile upon hearing him say that, I never thought he would have it in him to- “I never knew girls could train like that, let alone fight,” Sokka added. The smile disappeared as my body came to a halt. 

Minutes in, and I had already forgotten I was talking to a sexist. That last phrase caught me off guard. He was doing so well, talking to me without insult, until this. The fact it was the tiniest sprinkle of misogyny hidden behind a backhanded compliment made my blood boil. 

An exasperated sigh escaped my lips as I let go of the strings and abandoned his armor. “Sokka, quit it,” I demanded. 

“Quit what? That was a compliment!” 

I huffed, annoyed. How could he not hear what he was saying? 

Standing up, I caught his eyes, glaring at him before I struck. “This attitude, thinking you're superior just because you're a man. It’s ridiculous!” He tried to speak, but it only came out in stutters. “I don’t care what you were taught in the water tribes, the world doesn’t work like that. You need to see that we are equals. If I’m going to train you,  _ you  _ need to believe that. I’m not going to do all the work for you.” 

He was stunned, his face spelled absolute shock as his blue eyes looked back at me. I made it very clear that I was riled up, even though I quickly got back to adjusting the armor at his sides, and did not say a word until he was ready to have the mature conversation with me. 

I heard him sigh, a deep, regretful sigh, as he scrambled up an answer. He had heard the anger in my voice and was no doubt thinking about how his remarks had affected me in the few hours I had known him. 

“You’re right. I’m sorry,” I think he heard me scoff as I finished putting the armor on him. “And I mean it this time,” he waited for me to come around, waiting for me to be able to see him. Face to face. “Really. I’m sorry.” 

I didn’t want to accept it, not yet. I had made that mistake before, trusting that he had seen the error in his ways right before he hopped right back on them. My eyes diverted from his, not wanting to look at him any longer. Underneath my own layers of armor, I was seething. “Let’s just get this over with,” I retorted before I stepped back and let the silence sink in. 

He sensed the tension, I could tell by the squeamish look on his face, and scurried to keep a conversation going, fearing the quiet as much as I longed for it. Sokka hastily examined his outfit, double-checking it was secure while also… 

“What’s this? Does it mean anything?” He asked, gesturing to the little gold plates on each of his arms. 

There it was, the conversation starter. Probably what he thought was a magical ticket out of the awkward position I had placed him in. And...well, it was successful, for the time being. “Yeah, it does, actually. It represents the honor of a warrior's heart.” Sokka opened his mouth to ask another question, but I cut him off immediately once I saw him tugging at the strings of the headdress. “The silk thread you're pulling at? It represents the brave blood flowing through our veins.” 

“ _ Our _ ?” Sokka asked. 

My face deadpanned. “Don’t push it.” 

Just like he had with the kimono, Sokka studied me, intently examining my face. It was weird, since the action was out of nowhere, and he should have known I still had a bone to pick with him. All I was doing was standing, what could be so interesting about that?

Sokka swayed on his feet once he realized I had noticed. “So… not trying to dig myself into a bigger hole, but why don't I get the makeup too?” 

Oh. That made sense. 

I had forgotten the makeup was on my face. After years of wearing it almost daily, the layer of white, black, and red face paint felt so natural. I suppose the war paint was intimidating though, which is why Sokka was trying to understand why I would wear it unless it was a part of the uniform. 

I glanced at his confused, unpainted face. “You have to earn it,” was the answer I decided to give him. Just because I had explained the significance of the uniform without wanting to scream at him, was not enough to make up for all he had done. Besides, most of the speaking was on my part. That doesn’t give him points. 

Sokka lifted an eyebrow at me, almost not believing it. I suppose he had seen all the other girls with the makeup earlier today too, he had to have pieced together that being able to wear the makeup was not hard to earn. And he was right, it wasn’t. Normally, new Kyoshi Warriors would receive their uniform and paint the day of their first training, they never had to earn it by undergoing some extensive training. For him, though, I decided to change that. Not because he was “special _ , _ ” (as he had thought) but because he got on my nerves. I wanted to help him change for the better, and if Sokka had made it evident to me that he could not do that by words alone, perhaps being able to  _ earn  _ something would do wonders. 

“Earn it?” Sokka questioned. 

“Mhm.” 

“But everyone I had seen earlier had it. There must have been about 10 other girls in the dojo, and they couldn’t  _ all  _ have earned it,” He argued. 

Again, he was right, and I wasn’t going to lie to him. “They didn’t.” 

“Then why do I have to?”

He was so clueless, so oblivious that it was charming. “What do you think?” 

It took him a second, and then, “Oh…” He exclaimed, sinking his body into a mountain of regret.

I closed the distance between us, and he gulped once he realized his eyes had no way to go but down to stare into mine. And boy, were mine fuming. “You want to wear the war makeup? Earn it,” I ordered him. “You want me to forgive you? Prove you can change.” 

I backed away, wishing I was taller than him so maybe I could appear more aggressive with my point. Yet, maybe I didn’t need the advantage of height. Sokka took a stance, placing his arms in front of him with closed fists, and nodded, making a deliberate “Hm,” sound in the process. 

I took that as a good sign. “Watch me,” I commanded, kicking away my fans as I carried myself to the center of the dojo. Sokka did as he was told, and his eyes followed me until I took a fighting stance in the middle of the mat, leaving him confused. 

Sokka questioned my methods. “But the fans-” 

“Not yet,” I told him. There was more to fighting than just weapons, and even if he knew that, he was still in no position to train with them. “They’re sharp. Trust me, it’s better off if we don’t use them since you're just beginning.” 

He shrugged, seeing my point, and met me at the center of the mat. Copying me, I quickly spotted his sloppy form and lacking technique, but that made no difference as I sent a jab punch towards his face. Sokka dodged, barely, and peered back at me stunned. 

“Weren’t you listening earlier?” I asked him, raising myself from my stance as well.

“Umm… yes?” Sokka's blue eyes spelled confusion. “When and where? ‘Cause I remember you saying a lot of stuff about a lot of different things,” Sokka bantered, attempting to tease me. 

“Earlier, when I told you to watch the training,” I watched him panic as I cut to the chase. “Because I was hoping you would pick up on a few things, regardless if you did not I was still going to test you.” 

“Oh,” Sokka exclaimed, nodding. He tried to reposition himself in the stance, only to put himself in a clumsier one than before. He filled himself with confidence, and a stream of bravery welled in his blue eyes. “Bring it on.” 

I sank back into the stance, allowing myself to fully focus on my opponent. I charged. 

The challenge didn’t even last 10 seconds. Sokka was sent hurtling to the ground back first once I broke his stance. I had snaked around him, waiting for an opening where I could use his weight against him. That chance came fast once he left himself defenseless upon attempting to strike a blow, and I used the opportunity I had to claim a quick victory. 

Sokka’s eyes were wide in some daze as they stared at the ceiling before I came into view. “Suki, please teach me that,” he uttered, hazily. 

My, I had my work cut out for me. 

The Avatar had planned to stay on Kyoshi Island for way longer than anyone was expecting. Instead of one night, he stayed two. But then instead of two, he stayed three, and so forth, and his party stayed with him. 

The days following the day I met Sokka were tiring. After what I had said to him that afternoon, he made it his life’s mission to prove to me I was wrong. The effort I saw him put in was astonishing, to say the least. Sokka went out of his way to show up an hour or two before I had to train with the other girls, begging me to train him at the ripe crack of dawn and again during the late afternoon. It was exhausting, but I only had myself to blame for it. I was the one who agreed, after all. I didn’t have to do all this. I didn’t have to show up and continue instructing him. I didn’t have to do anything at all. 

Yet, I found myself waking up before the sun, dressing into uniform, skipping breakfast, and hurrying to get to the dojo to meet him. If we were lucky, we got to watch the sunrise from within the walls of the dojo. Doing so helped me learn to leave the windows open, allowing the morning light to seep through. It helped tremendously. In contrast to the candles, the warmth would strengthen my tired body as well as brighten Sokka’s dorky smile, which would then bring upon mine. 

We repeated this same routine for the days to come, even though it was taking every fiber of me to maintain. After training Sokka at dawn, I would then be training the girls as we did every day for hours, despite me already being exhausted. And I’d repeat the lessons all again, on our own, with Sokka, teaching him the basics and watching him improve and grow with each hour I spent with him. 

As the days went on, Sokka’s attitude changed rapidly. After the first day, he would scold himself if he accidentally said something out of line, and would apologize to me like a scared child. On day two, his body started to memorize the movements of fighting, and he was good enough to attempt to knock me down. It didn’t work, but it was a good effort. Day three and four, Sokka’s sexist remarks were gone completely, his understanding of fighting was flourishing, and his perseverance was still immeasurable. 

Every day, I came home drained, feeling like I could no longer withstand the vigorous routine, and still, every day, I agreed to do it all again.

For the whole time, I didn’t understand why I was doing it. At first, it was to teach Sokka a lesson, and then it was to help him become a better person, and then it was- 

Nothing. I had nothing. All the reasons I had for doing this had been washed away. I didn’t have an intention anymore, I just simply  _ was _ , and I had no idea why. 

One morning, though, on our 5th day of training, I finally had my answer. 

The sun had barely begun to creep over the horizon, and I was still standing outside the dojo, waiting. We were a little behind schedule. Sokka was late. 

He was never late, ever. In fact, he was always the first one here, even though most of the time it was freezing. It was foolish of me to even try to wonder if he had ditched me, because, well, as soon as my mind started to feed that thought, I saw him sprinting up the hill, shouting a million apologies at me with a small bag in hand. 

I was eager to get started, but he insisted (for once), that we postponed the session, only for a bit. I disagreed with him at first, squabbling over the fact that I could have gotten an extra hour of sleep, until he opened the bag, revealing the food inside. 

“I brought you something,” Sokka said sweetly. “I wanted to thank you for putting up with me the last couple of days. It means the world to me and I’ve learned a lot. Here,” he handed the bag to me with a smile. 

The smile he wore was contagious. I peered into the bag to see two containers that smelled of warm food, two apples, two sets of utensils, and two small jugs, which I assumed were filled with water. It didn’t take long before I put the pieces together, I glanced up at Sokka. He was waiting patiently to see my reaction with his nervous arms tucked behind him, but he knew what I was thinking. “Oh! That… I thought maybe we could eat together? If that’s okay with you.” 

Before I even had a second to think, I found myself responding. “I’d love to.” The gesture was sweet, I couldn’t back down. Besides, if I didn’t eat now I knew I would be starving for half the day. “How did you know I’m hungry at this time anyway?” I asked, it couldn’t have been pure coincidence that he had known. 

My stomach grumbled and my eyes went wide. 

“That,” Sokka pointed out before we burst into laughter. “I have ears and you make it pretty obvious,” he stammered out through choked words. 

“Fair point,” I responded, giggling. “But come on, let’s eat before it gets cold.” I led him up the stairs and unto the porch. The winter weather was still present, but it would be disrespectful to eat within the dojo, so the chairs outside it would have to do. 

Once seated, I reopened the bag and divided everything between us, until I stopped at a thick leg of meat that I didn’t know what to do with. 

Sokka swooped in like a tornado, taking the meat from my hands. 

“Oh, so it’s for you?” I asked him, watching as he looked at it almost protectively. 

“Suki, I am a simple man,” he declared, speaking with a hard head. “I like my meat,” he said, before taking a big bite out of it. I smiled before uncovering what he had packed for me, and joy sparked in me as I quickly recognized my favorite food. 

Originally, the plan was to share a meal and begin training, nothing else so no time would be wasted. But, Sokka was talkative, and I couldn’t escape his conversations. Words rolled off our tongues like waterfalls, never-ending and intriguing. A quick conversation turned into hours as we talked about the different aspects of our life and found what we had in common. I knew since the day I met him that Sokka was a comedic person, but I never knew he was as hilarious as he was until that morning. He was like a firecracker, always equipped with a joke at every given moment and more than prepared to deliver it at lightning speed. In short, I never laughed harder in my life than I did that morning. 

I came home contemplating all that had happened that day, with my mind frequently traveling back to the boy I ate with at the crack of dawn. A feeling, much like electricity burned through me as I reminisced on the moment, and before I knew it, a smile was glued to my face, and it refused to leave me alone. My face must have gone white as I understood, and all of a sudden, I had my answer to my question. I knew why. 

I could have had a break. That was what all the other Kyoshi Warriors were doing today. But again, I chose not to. It was the Avatar's sixth day on Kyoshi Island, and I could feel that he would have to leave soon, meaning he would take Sokka with him. I made the most of our training that day. Seeing as I had no obligations to the other warriors, I planned to spend the day with Sokka, teaching him everything I could cram into his brain before he would have to leave. 

Even though Sokka was sore, he made an effort to listen and learn. He gave me his all, even though he was panting, bruised, and sweating buckets. He never backed away, even though I could tell his body was begging him to refrain. While sparring that afternoon, he was lasting longer than intended in the fight, holding up for about a minute before I eventually took him down. 

Sokka had fought valiantly as always, energized by the adrenaline warranting him to improve. The only different thing was the look in his eye, this tiny twinkle of light that spelled out essays. He no longer fought me intending to prove I was inferior, instead, it was to prove he was worthy of my respect and trust, yearning for it. 

Leaning down, I extended a hand to him to help him back on his feet. Sokka took it willingly, and despite how tired he seemed, he prepared himself into another stance, ready for me to strike again. 

At that moment, my mind fully accounted for his progress and I made my decision. It was time… and he needed a break anyway. 

“Wait here,” I told Sokka, who was surprised I didn’t follow him. Sidestepping off the mat, I made my way to a small supply room in the dojo and selected the box of paints from the shelves. 

When I came back, Sokka figured out what was happening and became ecstatic. He took a seat right in the middle of the mat and waited patiently for me to attend to him. Quickly, I redirected him to the open floor, instructing him to sit there instead. 

Once we both took out seats, I started to set up. I placed the jars of red, white, and black, to the sides of us, clearing space in the middle for my human canvas. He closed his eyes as I scooted close to him and adjusted his face so I could see. Turning him to face what was left of the afternoon sunlight, the rays graced the surface of his tanned skin, illuminating his features before me. I found my eyes struggling to look away. 

I cleared my throat, thankful he couldn’t see me, and dipped my first brush into the white paint, preparing to go over his skin. 

“So I guess this means you accept my apology?” Sokka asked as cockiness overtook his tone. 

“Perhaps,” I teased him. “I’m just kidding, I do. You’ve proved you can change.” Sokka moved, shifting his upper body. “Now stay like that,” I pressed my free hand to his chest. He steadied. 

I expected Sokka to be more jittery after the first coat, but he was as calm as a lamb. He was smiling, which was bad. The makeup was going to crease. 

Taking off my gloves, I lowered his smile manually. “Hey!” Sokka complained, opening one eye. 

“The makeup is going to crease if you do that. I don’t want you running around with winkles,” I explained. 

“Okay, yeah,” Sokka shrugged, agreeing. “Thanks for saving me from looking ancient,” Sokka said. Instantly, his lips curved into another smile. 

“Hey, Sokka?” 

“Yeah?” 

“You’re doing it again.” 

Sokka shrouded his face into the most serious expression I ever saw on him. “Better?” 

I giggled, “Yes, much better.” Sokka watched me dip my brush into the paint again and he closed his eyes while I laid on another coat. Before long, the white was done. I opened up the red jar and took another brush. With it wet, I proceeded to apply it to Sokka's eyelids. 

Adding the red paint to the eyes always was a meticulous procedure. It required precision, tamed focus, and a still, near subject. In other words, to make this right, we needed to be extremely close. 

Our knees touched as I scooted close to him, raising myself on my knees so I could have a steadied view of him, and began to apply the paint. Our faces were mere inches away from each other, it was impossible to resist staring at his near-perfect features. 

At first, I thought about his eyes. Those bright, luminous blue eyes that just  _ had  _ to be closed as I painted him. I studied his jaw and cheeks, noticing for the first time how defined they were before my sight found a new victim. The height of my distraction came when my eyes rolled over his lips. He was going to follow all our traditions, meaning he would have to wear the normal Kyoshi Warrior red lip...that I would have to paint it on. 

I felt my heartbeat from within my chest once my mind wrapped around that fact. It was rhythmic, blaring a loud pound that I feared Sokka would hear, and I scolded myself, ushering for it to go away. This was not the time. 

It quickly grew to be a challenge. The calm boy who sat before me vanished, and I was re-acquainted with a Sokka that would quiver every two seconds. The red paint seeped into the white, and the colors collided, messing up the form. I was certain knew he was doing it. 

I backed away as Sokka leaned back, watching me reach for the towel and bowl of water. “What happened?” He asked. 

“I need to wipe it off,” I responded, going to do just that. 

“If your finger slips and you poke my eye out, do I get a refund?” He joked, sitting pretty while I rubbed at his eyes. 

“Very funny,” I applauded him, frustrated.

“I thought you did this every day,” Sokka countered, still relaxing from his spot. 

“I do,” I said. “But you started moving. Let me try one more time. Close your eyes.” Sokka did as he was told, and I wiped the makeup off his right eyelid. Drawing myself close to him, I griped his face and go in again to apply the red paste. He sat patiently, eyes closed with our faces perfectly parallel from the other and- 

No. I had to stay focused.

I run the brush over his eye, crafting the design until-

Sokka moved. The red paint blended with the white base, running the design. Again. 

Sokka opened his eyes, and all of a sudden my breathing hitched as mine meet his. 

I groaned. “Stop moving,” I scolded him once I built up the courage to look away. “What happened to the Sokka that sat here with that stern face? I’m kind of missing him right now,” I said, preparing the towel. “One more time. I’m doing this one more time-”

“You said that last time-”

“I know, but-” I sighed, dipping the brush into the red paint. “It’s not my fault, you're the one who’s moving.” 

Sokka raised an eyebrow, “Says the one with the trembling hand,” he shot back. 

I froze. I was afraid to look down because, well, he was right. 

My right hand had been shivering out of control this whole time, I had just been too convinced the problem was him to realize. I gazed at Sokka, curious and horrified to know how long he had known, before studying his reclined body and discerning he had known all along. 

I looked at his face- his ruined, painted face, and realized that we had been here for far too long. At least twenty minutes had passed, which was way over what I had anticipated, and I was still grappling to paint his eyelids. I was like this. Never. I had done this every day for years, and yet now, I was struggling. 

No- not struggling. 

Stalling. 

Sokka smiled at me, “Suki?” He called. 

I jumped. “Hm?” 

“You’re blushing.” 

My eyes went wide. I took my hands and rubbed at my cheeks, doing all I could think of to make the heat go away. “Shut up,” I dipped the paintbrush in the red paint as he started to laugh before pushing him back. "Shut up." Sokka’s smile was wild as he stared at me, piecing the puzzle together like clockwork. Now he knew, and that probably puffed him up with pride. Even though it was inevitable at the point, I tried to hide it. Dismissing my actions, I backed away. “I’m doing nothing of the sort.” Sokka only laughed. “What‘s so funny?” I asked him, it was more malicious than I intended. 

“Did you forget your wearing makeup?” Sokka asks. 

Again, my eyes went wide. He had bested me again. Even if I was blushing, my face was shielded in a layer of white, he couldn’t have seen anything. Regardless of that, I had gotten so defensive that he had got his answer, even though he never asked a question. 

Sokka’s blue eyes observed me as I uttered again, “Shut up.” I took out the black paint and a new brush, all while Sokka chuckled under his breath. I glared at him. 

“What? You never said I couldn’t laugh,” was his defense. 

I glazed the paint over his eyebrows, coloring them black as I rolled my eyes. “Idiot,” I said, smiling.

Sokka continued to tease me as I worked, not quite ready to let me forget the blushing incident. However, I was more than ready to match him, and unlike our second meeting, I found myself prepared to counter. Finally, when I got a hold of myself, I finished his makeup. 

Backing away, I stood up, admiring the masterpiece. “Come on, it’s time I train you with fans,” I announced. Sokka followed. 

He had been fighting to prove since day one that he deserved it, and now, I could say, he was worthy. 

Adding fans to the training was easy, once you mastered the basic moves. With the weapons, it was a matter of extending your stable body, propelling yourself through your fan, and using it as an extension. For Sokka, it was easy for him to comprehend, and by the second day, he could already hold his own while sparring with them. 

We were in action, pacing around the dojo as we fought. I was quite impressed with him and how much he had grown. Despite it only being a week, so much had happened, to both of us. Sokka’s misogyny was non-existent, at least to what I could see, and my feelings had developed immensely, so much so they were almost confusing. They clouded my mind, becoming a distraction. Sokka surveyed my stance, and I guess he saw a chance because before long he tried to send me to the ground. 

It didn’t work. I saw what he was doing, and took advantage of the opening he had left exposed. Twisting my body away from the threat, I scrapped Sokka off his feet with my leg, sending him to the floor. He landed hard on the mat, disappointed. “Better. You almost had me,” I told him, helping him up. 

“I was hoping I would have that time,” Sokka groaned. 

“You’ll get another chance,” I assured him, although I was unsure. I wasn’t going to fall to make him feel better, and time was fleeting. Sokka had been on Kyoshi Island for a week, and the villagers and I were becoming anxious about the Avatar's presence here. Of course, we were honored, but having a person wanted by the Fire Nation on your shores was sure to cause trouble. Whether it was by force or not, I wasn’t sure I wanted him to leave. Either way, time was limited. “Again,” I instructed him. “Remember to not leave yourself defenseless.” 

Sokka nodded and did as he was told. 

In the next round, Sokka applied my corrections. He was determined not to fall, and even more determined to finally take me down. Every time I tried to best him, he had himself protected. Every time I tried to attack, he dodged. The second time around we were relentless and hellbent on winning. I couldn’t remember the last time I was this competitive. 

Sokka backed away as I opened a fan. He considered his lessons, and did the same, making the playing field even. We circled each other, fans at the ready as we waited for the other to make a move. My eyes darted back and forth between his feet and his hands, knowing either could be used against me. He saw my indecisiveness and took it as a sign to advance. He turned himself around, spinning himself full circle with the fans at the ready as I prepared myself to counter. I was playing right into strategy, and he used my confusion to swing himself the other way, attacking the spot  _ I  _ had left open, and used my own momentum against me, sweeping me out from under and sending me plummeting to the mat. 

He presided over me. “I did it! I got you!” Sokka beamed, his eyes twinkling. ‘You have to admit that I got you! Suki, you should see the look on your face!” 

I was astonished, out of breath from shock, and astonished. He had tricked me, and then used my own strength against me, just as he was taught. 

Days ago, I would have been mad when placed in this situation, but now all I could do was smile. I was proud of him and all the effort he had put in to learn. I was glad I could help him change. But mostly, I was happy that I got the chance to meet him. 

In these few days, I had fallen harder than I ever had in my life; literally, and figuratively. At first, I had thought it was only on that mat (which did pain me upon impact), but then I realized it was also for him. The Water Tribe boy with a warrior’s wolf tail, crystal blue eyes, and beautifully tanned skin. He had shown up on our waters, impressing me with his astounding amount of misogyny and egotism, and then begged me to beat it out of him. 

Sokka had left that day. Just as we had feared, firebenders had gathered intel on the Avatar’s location, leading them straight to us. Our village had become a battlefield. Amid the warfare, we barely got to say goodbye. In that event, I acted on impulse and listened to my lovesick senses. I placed a kiss on Sokka’s cheek as flames and Fire Nation soldiers surrounded us, and turned around to jump right back into battle.

I didn’t know if I would ever see him again, but I wanted to let Sokka know the week I had spent with him was special. That rapid, fire igniting kiss was the only adequate way I could think of saying goodbye without it being too painful. 

**Author's Note:**

> I know the gang did not stay on Kyoshi Island for a week, but for the sake of my ship and this story, they did <3\. This is my first work on Ao3 so I hope you enjoyed it! I'm a simp for Sukka so I'm planning on a lot more to come!
> 
> Feel free to leave any thoughts in the comments! I'm open to constructive criticism. Thanks for reading my story!


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